SEI Africa director Philip Osano gives a presentation during the launch of the State of the Bioeconomy in Eastern Africa Report 2022.. Photo: Lawrence Nzuve/SEI
“A central feature of the bioeconomy is that scientific research, knowledge and innovation can be applied not only for the production of food, feed, fibre and fuel but also to produce a wide range of agro-industrial and value-added products.”
— Dr. Philip Osano, SEI Africa director
The State of the Bioeconomy in Eastern Africa Report 2022 highlights the bioresource availability in the region, including some of the important value chains for the biobased industrial development. The report argues that Eastern Africa has a competitive edge in developing a sustainable bioeconomy, and that future growth and jobs will likely come from bioeconomy value added activities.
“From SEI, we cherish the partnership of the EAC and the government of Kenya and with our centre in Nairobi we are committed to building and strengthening this as a knowledge partner for the sustainable development of Eastern Africa. Sweden, who is also drafting a Bioeconomy Strategy, should now learn from and build on the EAC work, which is world leading, although the thematic focus is likely to be different.”
— Prof Måns Nilsson, SEI Executive Director
Once launched later in the year, the regional bioeconomy strategy will become only the second one after that of the European Union (EU) of 2018.
